Automatic air-brake coupling.



. E. BIXLER.

- AUTOMATIC AIR BRAKE COUPLING. APPLIGATIOK FILED I EB.2, .1912.

Patented July 2, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1. E 7, Z

WIIIIIIIII'IIII S AM/who e ma Eli BM,

B. BIX

AUTOMATIC AIR BB COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED m 2 1912. 1,031,617. Patented July 2,1912. 2 ssssssss H EBTz.

Q- 2 I 2, Z 1 5 4 5'8 3, ,5 4 1 24 1a 7 F 26' 11 20/5 32 2B 30 15 25 '17 19 8 I 8 40 44: s Eli Bah STA-Tris Parana: onnicn ELI BIXLER, or minim, INDIANA.

UTOMATIC sin-Briana con'rmne.

To all whom: it may. concern Be it known that I, ELrBIxLEn, citizen of the United States, residing at Bernmin the county ofAdalns and State of Indiana,

haveinvented new and useful Improvements 1D Automatic- Air-Brake v Couplings, of

I which the. following is a specification.

This: invention relates "to automatic air brake couplings, and-has for an object to propide a 'coii. 1ling which will include companion coupling members which are adapted to be secured to adjacent-cars to automatically engage each other when t-hecarsare moved; to coupled positions whereby the autoniia'tic communication between. theair line pipes of the adjacent cars canbe' estab lished.

A still further object of the inventionis' to provide means for yieldingly maintaining the coupling elements in couplinglpositions to insure their positive engagementwith each other on coupling of the cars.

' In the drawings, forming a portion ,of this specification and in which like numerals of reference indicate similar parts in the several view-s:-Figure -1 is a side View showing adjacent cars in their coupled posi-' tions and provided with my improved coua line of Fig. 1. Fig. 3.is section llnro'ugh one of the couplings showing the valve in a closed posit-ion. Fig. 4 is a section on line ii--4 of Fig. 2. Fig; '5 is a section on line of Fig. 2.

The cars A and Bare provided with identic-ally constructed couplings 1' and 2 each of which including a horizontal guide mem- ;adapted to engage against the wall'l3 of the gasket-14c so as to hold the gasket se curely applied to the head. The hfiitt'l ls providedinteriorl y with a substantially cbsk lik portion 1 in which is formed an a nnu'lar series of openings 15 and a central guide opening 16, the latter being designed to. receive therein theshding valve stem 16.

Specification of Iiet'ters Patent.

o lin hi". 2 is a horizontal section taken L a c:

nected with the member 20 at 32.

Patented July 2, "1912.

. Application and rebn'ia a, 1912,. Serial no.- 574,971.

The valve rod is connected detachably at 17 with the 'section lS of the valve rod and as shown the connection 17 forms a stop against. which one end ofv an extensile spring 19-bears, the opposite end of said springbeing seated against the head 20 of the valve seat 21. This valve seat is providedwith an interiorly threaded socket 22 which receives one end of the casing 9.. A central o 'ic'ning 1n the head QO-formsa guide for the section 18 of the valve stem. The head 20 is provided with an annular seof passages 24 which open forwardly into the casing 5 the rear ends of the said openings being in communication with the chamber of the valve seat member. The

walls of the valve seat member are flared outwardly at 26 and as shown the valve 27 is correspondingly flared so as to be snugly hugged by the walls 26 to insure a perfect air tight connection between the valve-and the seat forming member when the former is closed under the action of the spring 19.

Rearwardly of the flared Walls 26. the walls ofthe chamber 25 are disposed in parallel relation and at this point the diameter of the. chamber is considerably larger than the valve 27 so that when the valve is opened communication is established between the valve chamber and the casing 9.'

The side arms 28 of the bracket 5 of each coupling member are connectedat their inner ends by a branch portion 29 which has formedtherein a guide opening 30 which is located in line with the opening 8 in the.

guide member 3. The opening'30 has eX- .tended theret-hrough aconduit. 31, the major portion of which being extended into the space between the side arms 28, and as.

shown its forward end is threadedly con- A jam nut 33 is adjustablymounted on. the forward end of the conduitand it may be.

brought into engagement with. the walls of the chamber 25 as shown. An extensile spring 34 encircles the conduit and 'as illus-' hated the front end of the spring bears against-the nut 33, so that under the act-ion of the spring the'couplinghead 10 ismaintained'in coupling position. The rear end of the conduit is provided with an elbow or nipple; 34 which is -'connected by the flexible hose 35'to the train line pipe 36.

The outer ends of the valve rods 16 the couplings are provided with' relatively broad contact heads 36 the head ct one the head of the adjacent coupling when the ad acent "cars come together. Now, it is seen that the outer ends of the rods 16 extending slightlyb'eyond the heads 10 and when the cars are coupled the valves QZ'Will besimult-aneously opened so that continuous communication is established between the train line pipes'of the adjacent cars. Brackets 4: are provided Wit-lI'aI'IHS 37 which embrace the end portions of the trucks C of the cars, the arms being apertured at 38, and as shown bolts 39 extend through the apertures and through the truck bars whereby the couplings are held securely applied as is understood. v

I claim The combination with a car, of an air coupling comprising a guide member having brackets of U-forn1 embracing the truck of the car, bolts extending through the brackets and through the truck to hold the coupling in its applied position thereon, a substantially U-member secured to the guide member and provided with longitudinal arms and a connecting branch portion, a

conduit slidable through the branch port-ion and disposedbetween the said longitudinal arms, a seat forming member connected to the forward end of the conduit, an extensile spring embracing the conduit and interposed between'the said branch portion and the'said seat forming element, the said seat forming element having an apertured head the outer end of the casing, and a head formed on the valve rod and extending nor mally beyond the head on said casing for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of twowitnesses;

ELI BIXLER.

lVitnesses 2 \VILLIAAL T. lVAcooXER, Damian A. MILLER. 

